Your Employees Are Your Most Precious Resource

New Hires are typically very excited to have landed their new job. They are looking forward to a good experience. But often, a business is unprepared to bring that new hire on board in a way that sets the employee up for success. Instead, it's common for an employee to show up on Day One, only to find that there isn't any particular plan in place for introducing them to the job or to the rest of the company. Too many times, the employee is thrown in and has to sink or swim. This puts a lot of pressure on the new hire and often feels more like a burden to the employer than an opportunity. Somehow everyone gets through those initial days, but in this scenario, the new hire lacks the foundation needed for a seamless beginning that benefits all involved. The employee often experiences overwhelm in this setting. The other team members often feel too busy to help. This kind of beginning can result in information gaps that negatively affect the workplace and the customer experience. Luckily, there is a different way to onboard an employee that works better. A Little New Hire Orientation & Training Goes a Long Way When a new hire comes on board, they are usually introduced to their manager. If there is no manager, that points to other organizational problems within the company. Establishing and maintaining a healthy work relationship with the person whose job it is to support the new hire is essential for employee success. It's the difference between feeling well cared for and feeling adrift. Here are some steps to establishing and maintaining  healthy work relationships with your direct reports:

1. Build a New Hire Orientation & Training Plan. This plan typically covers at least the first 2 weeks  that the new hire is on board. It includes the HR paperwork to be filled out, a tour & introductions and an overview of the initial training for the job. 
2. Hold an Employee Kick Off Meeting This is a great way to set shared expectations about how you will work together. It establishes the baseline for accountability.
3. Review the Employee's Position Agreement. This is the document that describes the work tasks and the standards to be met. Getting the new hire's initial agreement to achieve the result, do the work and meet the standards described is essential for a good outcome. Without it, you are on shaky ground when something goes wrong. Without baseline agreement to do their work up to your company's standard, accountability is nowhere to be found. 
4. Give the employee their Operations Manual that contains the systems they are accountable for in their job.  This gives the employee information to reference as he/she is learning the job. It's too hard to ask your employees to remember everything about their job without having something in writing or another medium like video to reference. 
5. Follow the training schedule in the New Hire Orientation & Training Plan.  This can include shadowing other employees. Make sure the new hire can check in with you frequently to ask questions. 
6. Establish an ongoing individual meeting time dedicated to developing the employee.  This ongoing meeting is the key to maintaining a healthy work relationship. It is the place to discuss what is working and what needs improvement. It's the place to give recognition and also to address what isn't meeting the company's quality standard. This is the place where trust is built and where, if done right, the employee will tell you the bad news. This gives you the chance to do your job as a manager and truly provide the help that the employee needs to succeed. 

Call Janice at 707-326-5681 to identify and build the missing pieces in your business that will maximize employee success. Or go to the www.intentionalleaders.com, and click on GAP Analysis on the home page.